有两个贫苦的樵夫靠上山捡柴糊口，有一天，他们在山里发现两大包棉花，两人喜出望外。棉花轻且贵，当下俩人各背了一包棉花赶路回家。
There once were two poor woodsmen who made a living by collecting woods in the mountain. One day, they happened to discover two large bag of cotton in the mountain and felt surprisingly happy. The cotton was light but valuable, so they carried it on their back and went back home.

　　走着走着，其中一名樵夫眼尖，看到山路上扔着一大捆布，他就和同伴商量。扔下棉花，背布回家。他的同伴却有不同的看法，认为自己背着棉花已走了一大段，到了这里丢下棉花，岂不枉费了先前的辛苦，坚持不愿换布。发现布的樵夫则尽其所能背起布走。又走了一段路，背布的樵夫望见不远处的地上散落着数坛黄金。心想这下真的发财了，赶忙用挑柴的扁担挑黄金。他的同伴仍是不愿丢下棉花，并怀疑黄金不是真的。发现黄金的樵夫只好自己挑了两坛黄金，和背棉花的伙伴赶紧回家。
When they were walking home, one of the woodsmen spotted a large bundle of cloth beside the road. So he discussed with his partner whether to discard the cotton and take the cloth instead. But his partner held a different view that since he had carried the cotton for such a long way, he would not change it with cloth because all his previous effort would turn out to be in vain. Therefore, the other woodsman abandoned the cotton and carried the cloth on his back. After walking for a while, the woodsman who carried the cloth spotted several jars of gold disseminated on the ground not far away. He felt so thrilled that he was going to be a wealthy man. So he gave up the cloth and used his carrying pole to carry two jars of gold, while his partner was still reluctant to abandon the cotton and wondering whether the gold was real or not.

　　谁知道刚走到山下。天竟下起雨来，俩人在空旷处被淋了个透。更为不幸的是，背棉花的樵夫背上的棉花，吸饱了雨水。重得背不动，实在不得已，只能丢下一路辛苦舍不得放弃的棉花，空着手和挑金子的同伴回家去了。
However, when they just went down to the foot of the mountain, it began to rain all of a sudden. Both of them were wet from head to toes. More unfortunately, the woodsman who carried the cotton found that his cotton had absorbed tons of water and became so heavy that he could no longer go on carrying it. Desperately, he had to abandon the cotton and went back home empty-handed with his partner carrying gold.

　　在人生的每个关键时刻，谨慎地运用智慧，做最正确的选择，同时别忘了及时审视选择的角度，适时调整。要学会从各个不同的角度全面研究问题，放掉无谓的固执。冷静地用开放的心胸做正确抉择。每次正确无误的抉择将指引你走在通往成功的坦途上。
This story implies that we should deliberately utilize our wisdom and intelligence to make the right choice in face of every critical point in our life. Meantime, we should not forget to review all the choices we have carefully and adjust our goal accordingly. We should learn to view a certain issue from different angles and avoid being stubborn. By opening your mind to the right choice, you will be guided to a smoother way to success.

(原文: 选自小故事网；译者: 爱尔兰都柏林大学 赖小琪)